The NCAA's Sour 16- Ain't Nothing Sweet About It: SOUTH

SOUTH Region:

Duke: On an annual basis, Mike Krzyzewski somehow defies the stereotype that white men can no longer keep up with the superior genetics of African-American athletes, especially in basketball. With the exception of talented guard Nolan Smith, every one of the Blue Devils’ significant contributors are white: Jon Scheyer, Kyle Singler, Brian Zoubek, the Plumlee brothers, the list goes on from years past (JJ Redick anyone?). Despite that unique anecdote, the predominant race of a given team is completely irrelevant in the NCAA tournament. Duke is a talented, balanced team that can dominate the offensive glass and give its sharpshooters multiple opportunities on a given possession. I expect them to eventually fall to Baylor next round, but at the same time, Duke very well has the the personnel capable of winning the National Championship.

Purdue: By no means did I ever expect the Boilermakers to reach the Sweet 16 after their star player, Robbie Hummel went down with a season ending ACL tear. But Chris Kramer has established himself as the new leader of this team. His defense in particular has set the tone for Matt Painter's club during the tournament, and played a decisive role in securing their second round win over Texas A&M. Purdue is a particularly athletic team, and that is exactly the type of team Duke has traditionally struggled against. So if Purdue can set the tone of the game: run, and wear out the Blue Devils, the Boilermakers have a good shot of reaching the Elite Eight, if not the Final Four.

Baylor: I hopped on the Bears bandwagon early in the season and have followed them all this way to the Sweet 16. Their core, guard duo Tweety Carter and LaceDarius Dunn, along with forward Ekpe Udoh have propelled Baylor to competitive play in conference games, going 11-5 against the rest of the Big 12. That phenomenal play has carried into the tourney, and I believe they have the talent to reach the Final Four. The overall athleticism of this team is exactly what is needed to get by the cocky slow giant Omar Samhan of St. Mary’s, and then most likely the extremely talented but un-athletic Duke Blue Devils. If the Bears get consistent scoring from Dunn and Carter, and Udoh controls the paint on defense as he has all season, Baylor could be booking a trip to Indy.

St. Mary’s: The world seemed to be introduced to Omar Samhan for the first time when St. Mary’s put Richmond to shame in round one. But it was his 32-point dominating performance against heavy favorite 2 seed Villanova that put Samhan on the map. It seems everyone likes the big guy’s running mouth as much as his slow, but fluid post play (except for Villanova fans of course). Against Baylor, Samhan is going to have to stay out of foul trouble, and be able to run the floor to keep up with the speedy Bears. If that happens, and if Aussie guards Matthew Dellavedova and Mickey McConnell rain jumpers as well as they did in rounds one and two, the Gaels have a decent chance against Baylor.